Madman Across the Water

Okay, so I wasn't mad.....well I guess that depends on your definition.... but I did cross some water.

I was in Seattle this morning, and as per usual it seems, it was raining.  I had plans to paint the turns for an upcoming Cascade Bicycle Club ride, but the wet roads were putting a crimp in those plans.  I was glad when by late morning it looked like I might be able to just get this job done.  Rather than ride to the ride, I drove to the ride today.  It was on my way home, and I wouldn't have the time to ride 100 miles AND paint the turns. I started from Renton and pedaled the "2 Points and a Levee" course.  I was in long pants and my warmest long sleeved jersey, with a tyvek jacket over top of it.  It didn't rain, but it never got very warm.  A facebook friend posted a photo this morning of snow on her peas in the Seattle area. It was a cool start, and remained cool during the day.

I had one "delay of game penalty", a flat in the town of Pacific, Washington.

Things could have been worse.  It was dry and I had a grassy spot off the road to take care of it.

I managed to get most of the route painted, only the return route in Renton is yet to be done.  I did  ride the entire 66 mile course however.

I then drove 200 miles, crossing the Columbia River (that's the Madman Across the Water tie in!) and arrived slightly late for the inaugural Rocky Butte Hill Repeats night.  I started this craziness a couple of years ago when I was in a social bike group.  I'm no longer in the group, but there was an open invitation tonight, so I decided I'd go join the fun.

In my good days, I could crank out 8 repeats in 90 minutes.  Tonight I was 30 minutes late so I only rode one hour. I got 4 repeats, and had 2 minutes left over.  12 miles, 1671 ft of climbing. Not too bad, but I've got a long way to improve yet.


..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.............78...............0.............0..........0..............78 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............696.............0...............0.........0............696 Total.............1856.............0...............0.........0..........1856 

A Monster of a Ride

Today Salem Bicycle Club held their first event ride of the season, the Monster Cookie Metric Century.  The Cookie is a flat course suitable for those coming off a winter of relative inactivity.  For those that ride year round, it provides a flat and FAST course that many will ride twice, a feat we refer to as a Double Cookie.  We refer to those who do the double ride as "cookie pigs". ;-)

For the first time, I was not a cookie pig today.  Julie joined me for the ride and one lap would be just fine this time.

We started off with a short ride to the official start of the ride at the State Capital.

We've had some very nice weather the last few days, and the forecast was for more nice weather today. There would be 1908 riders today, with a sizable number of those not being preregistered.  Salem Bicycle Club enlisted 75 volunteers to be sure that things transpired smoothly.

 The course was open to start from 8AM to 10AM.   We pedaled off at 8:07 AM
There were some clouds in the sky, but the roads were dry, and we had a tail wind.  Life was good as we made our way northward.  Julie is best described as a social rider and she was having fun with her highly decorated helmet.

With our early start, and social pace, we were passed by a steady stream of riders.  Julie soaked in all the shoutouts for her decorative headgear. We arrived at Zielinski Farm after 15 miles, the first rest stop. 

We ate fruit and cookies, and I visited with a few bike friends.

After a short while it was time to get back on the bikes.

After another 15 miles of riding we arrived at Champoeg Park. Preregistered riders can order a boxed lunch and eat it here, but I found out years ago that a full lunch here makes riding difficult.

With nearly 2000 riders today, I was bound to run into folks I know.  It was a bit of a switch, as when I ride with Julie in Seattle she knows EVERYBODY.  Today she knew very few. The weather was improving as the ride progressed but there was still a south wind blowing.  After the lunch stop at Champoeg Park we prepared to ride back into the wind.  As we pedaled out of the park we passed my brother-in-law Dave, and the gang of cookie pigs.  They all had smiles on their faces as they raced into the park.

Julie and I pedaled back southward, into that wind.  Folks were still pedaling along at 14-17 mph, so it wasn't that bad, but there were some slower riders too.

The route is two loops connected by a short stretch of shared road where Zielinski Farm is located.  We arrived back there and stopped in for some more snacks. 

Just as we were ready to shove off, the cookie pigs arrived.  Stories flew of 25 mph pacelines, and struggles to keep up with the group. Ah, the fun of fast friends!

Julie and I pedaled off, knowing that the cookie pigs would soon pass us by.  With the improving weather the south wind was beginning to shift. Rather than a headwind, we now had a cross wind.  We were back up to the mid teens as we made our way along.

Dave, Vest, Steven, Kevin O., Diana, Eric, Max, and Sally caught us, as expected, and flew by us in a tight paceline.  They were having a great ride on a sunny day.  So were we.

We arrived back in Salem and looked for the traditional monster cookies.  Alas, there were some big cookies, but not Monster Cookies.

It was a good ride, Julie rode her longest ride this year.  With our short commute to and from we managed to get a full metric century, barely.

..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.............62...............0.............0..........0..............62 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............618.............0...............0.........0............618 Total.............1778.............0...............0.........0..........1778 

A morning bike ride

 It is another nice Spring day in NW Oregon.  I've got afternoon plans, but that didn't preclude some morning fun on the bike.



Today wasn't about the miles, it was about the hills.  Whenever there was a choice, I went up.
On Rosemont Rd I pedaled past a farm that has been recently converted to a park. I wonder if Mr Stafford
 could possibly have envisioned what his farm would look like today?

If you click on the photo you get a full sized version and can make out the inscription

I ended up with 21 miles, and 2217 ft of climbing.  It was a gorgeous morning to be on the bike.


..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.............21...............0.............0..........0..............21 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............556.............0...............0.........0............556 Total.............1716.............0...............0.........0..........1716 

A lovely Spring day

I had wanted to get out for 50-60 miles today, but some yard work got me out of the mood.   I hopped on the fixie and tootled around town a bit.  I rode to Memorial Park.  I took advantage of the wider tires on the fixie and rode some trails.

It was a nice Spring day, temperature was 78 degrees.  Even the wildflowers were enjoying the day.

I sat along the bank of the Willamette River for a bit, then pedaled back home.


..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today..............7...............0.............0..........0...............7 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............535.............0...............0.........0............535 Total.............1695.............0...............0.........0..........1695 

Riding Like a Pro

 Not that I was fast, nor was I using performance enhancing substances, but I was letting teammates in the peloton do the work!

I started earlier in the day doing some errands in town via the fixie.  I got 5 miles in on that.

Tonight I was invited to join some friends on a speed fest.  We started at 5:30PM and wanted to be done before the sun got too low in the sky.  There was a brisk wind blowing, but temperatures were in the mid 70's as ten of us shoved off.  Dave led us out at a 18-20 mph pace.  It only got worse from there!  I knew the roads, but didn't know the route, and it wasn't my ride, so I was happy to just sit back in the peloton enjoying the draft.



At 14 miles in we stopped to refill water bottles and regroup.  We had held just under a 20 mph average to this point. Pacelines are fun!

We discussed options and decided on a climb of Iowa Hill.  The hill wasn't all that bad.  We paused at the top with a view of Mt Hood in the distance.

The 50+ mph descent made the climb up worth it.

We continued our speedy ways, a few of the guys taking turns pulling, me firmly ensconced in the peloton.
We arrived back with 35 miles, and a strong desire for food and drink.

6 of us gathered for a post ride debriefing.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing (and cussing!) bikes, cyclists, and people on bikes.  It was a fun evening, and nice to be out on the road with these folks.

..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.............40...............0.............0..........0..............40 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............528.............0...............0.........0............528 Total.............1688.............0...............0.........0..........1688 

2 Points and a Levee........and a commute

Cascade Bicycle Club runs a training series and my friend is one of the ride leaders.  We had planned to preride the upcoming ride "CTS-6, Two Points and a Levee" over the weekend so that she was familiar with the route.  Alas, that did not happen due to a wet and yucky Sunday.

I was really looking forward to riding that route so last night late, with a forecast for dry weather, I made plans to ride.  I planned to pedal to Renton, the official starting location, because that's what I do. ;-)

I made my way down Queen Anne hill and into downtown Seattle.  I took 2nd Ave through downtown.  I took the center of the right lane as I usually do, but several cars still passed very close despite having other lanes available.  I guess it was one of those "might makes right" things.

The most tense moment with traffic occurred about 10 miles in to today's ride as I rolled slightly downhill at just over 20 mph along Cloverdale St as I approached Martin Luther King Jr Way.  An SUV coming toward me in the opposing lane decided to make a left turn in front of me without actually having enough clearance to do so. There are rail tracks running with MLK and room to maneuver was limited.  I executed a quick stop and managed to stop about 5 feet short of the SUV.  I glared at the driver, he looked clueless.

I rode a bit farther and stopped at Beer Sheva Park for a water top off, a restroom break, and to take this photo:

I was now on the STP route along Lake Washington.  The sun was out and life was good. I soon arrived at the Old Renton City Hall, and my "ride to the ride" was finished.  I brought up the "2 Points and a Levee" route on my GPS and took off.

The section along W Valley Rd was a bit dicey.  Again, there were multiple lanes going my way, but the vehicles were less than eager to give me space.  I had heard the warnings of Peasey Canyon Rd being "a hill", but was glad when I took the turn to go up there.  The hill wasn't all that bad, about 2 miles at 4%-6%.

I was soon in Dash Point, the first "point" of today's ride. I took a short off route pedal to grab this view of the Sound.

I proceeded the short distance to Brown's Point, the second point for the route,  stopping to take several photos along the way.

I was soon on the outskirts of Tacoma.  The view was now more industrial.

There was a band of clouds along the Cascades, but I could still make out Mt Rainier.

I skirted along Tacoma then joined the Puyallup River, and pedaled along a levee.  Having been to both points, and now the levee, I was ready to turn back northward. As I pedaled I noted marked evacuation routes for volcanic activity.  While the Puyallup River currently carries water to Puget Sound, it doesn't take much imagination for anyone in the Pacific Northwest on May 18th, 1980 to envision something much more dangerous than water racing down this path.  As I rode through Sumner I recognized the town, having pedaled through there on other bike events.

In Sumner I turned north.  I had been enjoying a tailwind most of the day to this point, it was now time to pay it back.

I rode into a stiff breeze as I pedaled the Interurban Trail.  I was moving faster than most of the folks out enjoying the nice weather on this trail today. I was on my aerobars and pedaling, when, much to my surprise, I saw a rather large guy on a flat bar bike gaining on me.  I picked up the speed in an attempt to keep him at bay to no avail.  As he passed, I heard the tell-tale hum of an electric assist.  He just smiled.  :-)

I continued along the Interurban Trail.

The trail has a small waterway along much of it, and often ducks would be swimming along just feet from me as I passed, but every time I stopped to take a photo they'd swim off before I could get the camera out. Oh well, I guess we've all seen ducks before. ;-)

I arrived back in Old Renton City Hall, ate a power bar, loaded the return commute, and pedaled off. I had just over 15 miles to go, two hills, and headwind. Fun!  The riding through downtown was slow, as it always is.  I rode back via 4th Ave.  I finished up with a climb up Taylor St.  I was surprised to be able to ride up this after 99 miles about the same speed as when I'm fresh.  I guess slow is slow.

It was a good ride, and a great day.

..............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today............101...............0.............0..........0.............101 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............488.............0...............0.........0............488 Total.............1648.............0...............0.........0..........1648 

TipToe Through the Tulips

A small armada of us made our way to Mt Vernon today to ride the Tulip Pedal. There were 8 of us in all.  The plan was to ride the 60 mile route. It was supposed to be a nice day but as we drove up I-5 we were in nonstop rain. By the time we got to Mt Vernon everyone else decided to ride the 40 mile route instead. Our group milled around the start for quite some time trying to get organized.  I had still hoped to ride the 60 as we shoved off.

At each rest stop, and each photo opportunity the waiting to regroup and roll took way longer than it should have.  By the time I got to where the 40 and 60 mile routes diverged, it was way too late to consider. I did get a few photos of tulip fields.

The route crossed the Skagit River a couple of times.  In my previous life I had rafted it several times, though higher up, on Bald Eagle viewing trips.

I didn't get the miles I had hoped for, but did get one good workout in.  We were riding into a pretty brisk headwind at one point.  I was trailing one of the women in our group by about 20 feet.  She came up behind a couple of slower riders.  She took a look over her shoulder, barked a "on your left", then stood on the pedals and passed them.  I did likewise, then rolled up next to her and joked, "Wow, what got into YOU?".
She replied she just wanted to get this stretch into the wind over with.  I figured that was a good enough reason.  I put the power to the pedals and brought the bike up to 18 mph (into a ~15mph headwind) and held it there for the ~.8 mile to the stop sign. That brought up the heart rate!

It was a good day, no rain as we rode, though as mentioned earlier, it rained most of the way up, and it also rained most of the way back to Seattle.



  ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total

Today.............40...............0.............0..........0..............40 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............387.............0...............0.........0............387 Total.............1547.............0...............0.........0..........1547 

Following the Desert Coyote - 201st phonecast

Fixin' to go to the hardware store

I needed to go to the local hardware store.  The sun was shining.  I took the fixie!

Only 3 miles, but it was still fun.

 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today..............3...............0.............0..........0.............,3 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............347.............0...............0.........0............347 Total.............1507.............0...............0.........0..........1507 

72%

I had plans to ride to Multnomah Falls and back today, a 100 mile round trip for me.  The last few times I've planned on it things happened to keep me from doing it.

Today was no different.

I took off easy.  Before I even got to Oregon City I pulled into a park next to the Tualatin River, just to look around.  As it ended up there were a few informational signs about the Willamette Meteorite that was found nearby. There was a 1/5 size replica of the meteorite onsite, the actual meteorite is in a museum in New York.

Instead of taking a picture of the pretend meteorite I took a picture of the Tualatin River. I've been at the headwaters in the Coast Range. It's a much larger river here near its confluence with the Willamette River.

From there it was just a short ride to the Oregon City Bridge.  The Oregon City Bridge crosses the Willamette River just downstream from Willamette Falls.  Willamette Falls is the largest falls by volume in the Pacific Northwest, and is the 17th widest falls in the world, but industrialization of the area has kept the public away from the falls for over 100 years.  Today the best views are from the cliffs above on the east bank in Oregon City.  I tried to find a place between trees and buildings to get a view coming along the west bank, but the best I could do was to get this shot of the eastern portion of the falls from the center of the Oregon City Bridge.

Just out of the frame of the above photo is the row of industry that limits access.

This was also a good angle to see the Willamette Falls Locks. These locks opened in 1873 and were operated until 2011, making them, at the time, the first and the longest serving multi-lift locks in the U.S.

Once across the Willamette River I made my way to the Clackamas River Trail.

 I  followed the Clackamas to High Rocks, where I accessed the I-205 Path.  I followed that to the Springwater Corridor and followed that to Gresham.

I took the Stark Street Bridge over the Sandy River and pedaled the Historic Columbia River Highway over Chanticleer Point and on out to Multnomah Falls.  I had a few snacks at the lodge then began to retrace the route back home.

I got back to where the Springwater Corridor path crossed Foster Rd.  I waited for the signal to change.  As the signal turned green I started to pedal but felt that strange thud as the chain fell between my 42 and 30 tooth chainrings.  I rolled to the side of the road and attempted to dislodge it.  I hadn't put power on it, but it was bound up tight.  I've had this happen a few times. Once in San Diego just as I was about to give up and call SAG, the chain came free as the bike was set up on the wheels.  On last year's Race Across Oregon my crew could not free it, despite having a full array of tools available.  Today I had a tire lever.  I fiddled, twisted, used rocks and sticks, looked for anything that might help.  Alas, the more I wiggled it, the worse it got.

Today, the easiest way out of this predicament was to call my sister, the same sister that has bailed me out on several other bike adventures. I made the call, then tried to get comfortable.

In about a half hour she arrived, I loaded the bike, and we were off.

72 miles of the planned 100, but at least I was going to make it home before dark.



 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............72...............0.............0..........0.............72 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............344.............0...............0.........0............344 Total.............1504.............0...............0.........0..........1504 

Over the River and Through the Woods

To Grandmother's house I rode. Well, it was MY mother's house. She had informed me that there were a few "honey do"s on the list, so my plan to ride 100 miles to Multnomah Falls turned into a 55 mile round trip today. It was a decent day for a ride. There was a lot of blue sky around, and a splattering of big white puffy clouds. The first half of the commute is mostly on multi-use paths. Spring was evident.



As I neared Hillsboro on of those big white puffy clouds took on a darker hue, and spit a few raindrops on me. Nothing serious, but I was looking for cover just in case it suddenly got worse.

After a couple of hours I completed the tasks at my mother's and noted that the clouds were getting dark again. I was hoping to avoid any showers since I was on the fenderless carbon bike and didn't have rain gear along.

I kept a pretty good pace into Beaverton and the sky began to brighten up.  I had dodged the rain! 
I turned south and made my way back to Wilsonville.  The traffic was beginning to pick up a bit with the "goin' home" gang. As I went through Tualatin I took the lane and rode like traffic, after all, that's exactly what I was. 

I rolled back into home with 55 miles, just over half of what I was planning today.  I should have just pedaled some bonus miles you say?  Ya, but the old adage, no matter how long the ride is, when it's over you are ready for it to be over was true today.

It was a good ride though.

 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............55...............0.............0..........0.............55 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............272.............0...............0.........0............272 Total.............1432.............0...............0.........0..........1432 

It's a long way to the top

  That is every bit as true today as when AC-DC sang it many years ago.

 In that song there is the line, "I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks".

That's what I was thinking today as I went for a little ride on the new bike.

Yup, a new bike, one with a flip-flop hub

I had a few errands to run today.  What better chance to go for a maiden voyage than a short distance easy ride?  I couldn't find any hipster fashions in the closet, but went for a ride anyway.  What good is a fixie if not a chance to show off your  track-stand skills?

  I can do a pretty decent track stand on my geared bikes, thought the additional control of a fixie would make this easy.

  Well, as Bon Scott sang, I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks!  I found that I didn't have the leg strength to move the pedals back and forth fast enough to react to the need for balancing.  I can balance my geared bikes at a stop far longer than I could on the fixie today.  I guess practice is what's called for. I got 6 miles in.

EVENING UPDATE:

I went out for a little evening ride.  Just goofing around, I rode to Memorial Park in Wilsonville.  I puttered around the paths and trails.

I had one tense moment as I rolled down an incline.  I was coming to an intersection where either I had to turn sharply or go straight ahead into gravel.  Despite my best efforts to control my forward progress I was gaining speed.  I finally had to "bail out" and use the brakes.  If I were a true fixie rider I would have been able to lock that back wheel up and stop, but alas.

I played tourist a bit and read about the historic barns of the area.

I also took a look at the community gardens.

I finally decided I had better get back home as the sky was beginning to darken and a few large drops of rain fell.  It looked as if a thunderstorm might have been imminent.

I made it home before getting wet and ended up with an additional 7 miles.


 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............13...............0.............0..........0.............13 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............217.............0...............0.........0............217 Total.............1377.............0...............0.........0..........1377 

Getting my butt kicked

A friend was celebrating her birthday with a ride in Portland's West Hills today.  It was posted on a meetup group that I am not a member of, and the invitation was not extended to non-members. It looked like a good ride with about 100 ft of climbing for every mile of distance covered. Since I am not a member I figured I should find some alternate ride. I was thinking about perhaps riding to Multnomah Falls again.

Late last night a facebook friend suggested a ride from the SE area of Portland out to Pumpkin Ridge Road.  I accepted, thinking that would be good training for me and I would enjoy the company.  The morning looked a bit wetter than had been predicted a couple of days ago.   We decided just to ride into the hills, and see where we happened to end up.

She took off across the flats at 18-19 mph.  I'm thinking I'm going to be in for a long day. ;-)
As we started up the hill we stopped so I could take off my rain gear.  We got a few light showers from time to time, but with the effort of trying to keep up with my friend I never got cold.

Paula's smooth pedal stroke always amazes me.  I've never seen that outside of those who've participated in ultra-cycling events such as Race Across Oregon, Furnace Creek 508, or Race Across America, yet she doesn't do any of those.  She attributes it to rowing, where smoothness of stroke is a virtue.  Whatever the cause, it is a pleasure to watch her pedal.......and struggling all day to keep pace, I got to watch her pedal far more than I should have.

When we got to the top of Thompson Rd we got to experience a brief hail shower, always a highlight! :-( We took shelter under a small mail box center's roof and let the worst of the storm pass.
The weather looked dicey, and we rethought the plan to ride out to Pumpkin Ridge.  We instead set our sights on Council Crest.  We made it there and paused just a few minutes to take in the view, take a few photos, and I also put my rain coat back on in anticipation of the descent.

Paula was all smiles

The ascent about killed me!

From there we made our way back down the hill carefully (wet roads!) I was glad I had the rain coat on as it provided protection against the cool air as we descended.  As we neared the Willamette River my front tire caught a seam in the roadway.  For a scary few moments I had no control of the front of my bike. Normally a bike goes down in those conditions, I was happy (and lucky!) to still be upright. We crossed the Willamette River on the Hawthorne Bridge. Once across Paula suggested a bonus side trip to climb Mt Tabor.  It was bad enough that she just buried me on every climb, I didn't want to be a total bike pansy and decline the invitation, so up we went! I still had the rain coat on, and was warm, but not overly so, as I climbed.


We rolled down Mt Tabor then went to a food cart near Paula's house.

I had planned to ride about 140 miles between Saturday and Sunday, instead I got less than 60.  It was still a good day on the bike, and Paula made sure I wasn't slacking.  Thanks!




2785 ft of climbing.

 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............28...............0.............0..........0.............28 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............204.............0...............0.........0............204 Total.............1364.............0...............0.........0..........1364

A Joy Ride

  When I had loftier biking plans Joy Ride, an indoor cycling studio in Salem, was the first to step up and offer sponsorship. Today the owner of that company and I decided we should go for a ride.  There was a 60% chance of rain predicted, and that scared away the folks who were going to ride with us, but it didn't stop Lorie and I from looking for that silver lining as we prepared to shove off into a light rain this morning.

Within a mile or so the drips stopped and we pedaled along on what would soon be dry roads.  The first portion of today's ride headed south on Liberty Rd in Salem.  That meant we were doing some gentle climbing.  That gentleness reached 12% as we entered more rural surroundings.   We rolled down the back side and when we reached the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway we turned and would follow it all the way back to Salem.  We did get a couple of light showers during the ride, but we had far more dry pavement than wet today.   That was a good thing because Lorie did not have fenders on her bike.

When we reached the bridge over the Willamette River near Independence we left the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, thinking we might go into Independence for a snack.  We stopped to take a couple of photos as we crossed over the river.

We took 15-20 minutes to chat before deciding that we really didn't need any snacks so we turned back around and proceeded toward Salem.

River Road is probably the least desirable section of the 150 mile WVSB.  The road is somewhat narrow, sight lines are poor, and today auto traffic was numerous.  We didn't have any problem however and pedaled back to Riverfront City Park in Salem, our start/finish point today.

We finished the day up with a sample of home brew served up by Jeff, Lorie's husband, and home brewer extraordinaire.  Following that we all three attended a birthday party/Cancer research fundraiser/BBQ whole pig party!  It was a good way to end a good day on the bike.

Altitude range
Altitude from 27 feet to 761 feet
Total climb 1,626 feet

 ................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............31...............0.............0..........0.............31 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April..............176.............0...............0.........0............176 Total.............1336.............0...............0.........0..........1336